Wahgah Border 2004

I happened to visit Wahgah Border, Lahore, back in 2004. It is a gate on the border of Pakistan and India. It is used for travel, trade and tourism.

A parade-show by the guards is staged on both sides of the gate daily. This ceremony is open for audience. It is cheered, hooted and booed with great gusto by both sides of the audience, that is, the Pakistanis and the Indians.

The popular slogan of Pakistanis was ‘Pakistan zinda bad’, while that of the Indians was ‘Jae Hind’, among other slogans. While the Indians mostly stuck to nationalist slogans, it was the Pakistanis who also shouted slogans speaking of religious identity and pride, like ‘Pakistan ka matlab kya…La illaha illallah’.

However, I felt a little strange at their enthusiasm; for the religious zeal of the Pakistanis’ slogans did not match their appearances. For, while the Hindus did not shout any religious slogans, yet many of their girls could be seen with Sindoor in their hair, while the Muslim audience was devoid of any of their hallmarks. It is as they say in the English language that he smiled but the smile did not reach his eyes. If I could have shut out my ears for a while and looked at both sides of the border, I figured I would not have been able to tell which side are the Hindus and which side are the Muslims, for they looked the same in their outward appearance, ironically, except for the Hindu girls.

For some, this is a welcome and encouraging news. For they believe that intermingling of cultural values is a positive way of life and the road to co-existence, while adhering to one’s religious hallmarks in culture, appearance and lifestyle is equivalent to being backward, extremist, discriminatory towards other religions and anti-coexistence. For example is the wearing of the Cross by Christians, Sindoor by Hindus and the beard by Muslims. However, if a Muslim girl wears the Sindoor, or a Muslim boy wears the Cross, it will be really applauded as being broadminded.

I live in Islamabad. I have studied from the Beaconhouse School. The City School was perhaps only half a kilometer away. There were debates, sports and art competitions which required the students of the two schools to intermingle. Yet, it did not cross the mind of any, neither students nor administration, that we should start wearing each others badges, sashes or uniform to promote peace, harmony and indiscrimination. They coexisted while wearing their identities. It is not discrimination, but distinction.

Islam promotes distinction, denounces being faceless human beings and condemns being a copycat.

The Messenger of Allah Prophet Muhammed SAW said, ‘He does not belong to us who imitates other people’.

[Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Al-'As, Al-Tirmidhi, N. 1207]

Is it a surprise then that the independence we fought and secured sixty-three years ago, in the name of Islam, is at a very, very high risk today?

For it is Nature’s Law that a blessing that is not honored is rolled back. If we want Pakistan to continue to exist, the answer does not lie in relying upon false friendships, nor turning traitors upon true friends, nor in selling our citizens, nor offering our tribal areas to vent out anger drones, nor begging money world-wide and nor splashing colors at Holi on our borders, for hope of acceptance. Rather, we are imprudently inviting the wrath of Allah SWT which He will met out at the hands of the very people we are trying to please, Saddam Hussain and his people being a recent example. If we had to do all this, then there was no need for a separate homeland for Muslims. We could have done all this sitting right in the middle of India. As for the concept of Pakistan being created for the political positioning of ‘Muslims’, trust me Allah SWT does not care even sixpence for it. For, people devoid of the Islamic spirit, values and color, are not even recognized by Allah SWT as Muslims.

The Good Taliban & the Bad Taliban

Much to the chagrin of some, there is now talk about the Good Taliban and the Bad Taliban.

While the rightists have always maintained that there are the good Taliban and the bad Taliban, just like there are the good Americans and the bad Americans and just like there are the good Pakistanis and the bad Pakistanis and just like there are the good Muslims and the bad Muslims and just like there are the good human beings and the bad human beings.

Well then who are the Good Taliban and who are the Bad Taliban?

For some, the Good Taliban terminology might be a fishing line for those Taliban who might bait to dialogue and deal, while the Bad Taliban would be those who remain patriot to their ideology.

While for others, the Good Taliban are those who captured Yvonne Ridley reporting on their land, kept her in an imprisonment of ten days and then let her go honorably without torture, molestation or rape. It is indeed a sharp contrast to the treatment meted out to Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.

While, the Bad Taliban are those who have disguised themselves as Taliban and are creating havoc in the land. They are those who grew a beard, put on a turban and joined the ranks of Taliban while they were not Taliban. They can be possibly anyone; escaped criminals from all over Pakistan, opportunists of some other political cause or non-Muslim foreign agents seeking destabilization in the country.

In between the two, there may be the reality of the ‘weak’ Taliban. They are those who do not bear the true and strong character of their forerunners and are making emotional mistakes on the battleground. They are naturally bringing a bad name to their identity.

Consider the following Hadith of the Holy Prophet Muhammed SAW,

Narrated AbuHurayrah, “The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: ‘Among the Muslims the most perfect, as regards his faith, is the one whose character is excellent, and the best among you are those who treat their wives well.’” [Tirmidhi : N.217]

The gist of the Hadith is not limited to wives only but to women in general, i.e. people who are living under your care and protection.

Well then consider the fate of Yvonne Ridley at the hands of the Taliban. And consider the case of Amina Masood at the hands of her own countrymen. And consider the case of Aafia Siddiqui at the hands of her captors.

Being a woman, who would you trust yourself with? Who surfaces better?